Ryan sleeps 6 hours straight: from 12:30 AM to 6:30 AM, when the dogs started howling and woke up everyone.

Ryan helping me on my website. Here is his first typing: "mmmmmmmm." (Nikon D40, 18-55mm and bounced SB-400.) (I used Photoshop to add whimsical text, border and color to the blank pad of paper that was on my desk. In case you recognize it as something else, rest assured I'm kidding you with Photoshop as usual.)

18 February 2007, Sunday, 8AM

Ryan's third word: "Nipple." He was sitting on my chest and eyeing my nipple, clearly an unproductive activity. Cute, but not productive. At least he wasn't eying his own nipples. Why does God put nipples on baby boys? They are of no real use to anyone and only confuse the little guys. Oh well, that's why God is God and I'm not.

The Five Crowns. The Five Crowns is an English-themed restaurant near Newport Beach, California. Thankfully the food isn't authentic English; unlike the food I had in England; the food at The Five Crowns is really good! The wild mushroom bisque soup-of-the-day was excellent.

Ryan places his order. "What, no kid's menu?" See the little bit of kid in a white shirt behind the guy looking like a waiter, right in front of the fireplace? It was that kid's birthday, and he got a compound bow and arrows, opened right at the table as a gift. I remarked with glee to my wife that she'd better get used to having a boy, because Ryan's going to be wanting the same things for his birthday, or worse. The kid who got the compound bow was wearing a suit jacket. My wife is afraid of boy things, so I had a grand time elbowing her with glee as the other kid's grandparents passed around the arrows and yet-unassembled bow components in glowing approval.

Ryan and Grandma Noni.

We were celebrating Grandma Noni and Pops' 44th wedding anniversary. (Don't like the blurry photo? Too bad! It's a 1/2 second hand-held exposure! All shots at ISO 1600, Nikon D40, 18-55mm, no flash and no IS or VR, except for the top shot of Ryan in his seat, which was with a bounced SB-400. Noni and Pops kept moving, so nothing would have made a sharp shot at 1/2 second.)

02 February 2007, Sunday

Ryan Rockwell checking out the photo supply aisle at the gift shop at Furnace Creek, Death Valley, California. You can see how excited he is about Kodak products; these mirror my own my feelings.